Article excerpt

The rights of disabled persons travelling by air are not being sufficiently respected in EU. So says the European Commission, which published guidelines(1), on 14 June, recapping a few basic rules and explaining the scope of the relevant EU legislation(2). The guidelines are easy to read as they are presented as 22 Q&As.

Can passengers with reduced mobility be required to present a medical certificate to obtain free assistance? The answer is no'. Must they always be accompanied? The answer is no' if they are self-reliant. Can they transport their mobility equipment for free? Yes', a maximum of two pieces of mobility equipment can be transported for free. This and many other questions and answers, and the accompanying explanations can be found in these guidelines.

In a 2011 report on the application of Regulation 1107/2006, the Commission committed to providing these directives before the 2012 Paralympic Games. It has kept its word.

Joachim Gerard, a Belgian member of the Paralympic team who will travel to London, accompanied Commissioner Siim Kallas (transport) at the presentation to the press. In his mind, while there has been a real improvement over the last few years, he still encounters problems in around 20% of his trips. "When you're taking the plane, you never really know what is going to happen." And everything is possible: being asked to pay a supplement for transporting equipment or simply being turned down at the gate for not being accompanied. …